


Forlorn Creator

by phantomthief_fee



Series: A Debt To Pay [2]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: False Protagonists AU, Mental Health Issues, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Suicide mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-11 22:22:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16861294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomthief_fee/pseuds/phantomthief_fee
Summary: Joey is a man of belief more than anything else. And he refuses to let another creator lose hope





	1. Chapter 1

So, @falseprotagonistsofbatim had an ask Joey event and now I feel bad for him and I had to write something.

So here’s my protag from A Debt To Pay, inspired by a very dark time in my life.

This ended up being so long.

* * *

Joey wasn’t sure why exactly Hill had brought him a child. At least, he assumed the crying girl in front of him was a child. She was so small, curled in on herself on the floor. She’d been crying ever since Hill had dropped her off, curled up in a ball, trying to hide from him. He didn’t blame her, honestly. He knew that he and the studio must look a fright.

“ _ **Is she okay?**_ ” Bendy whispered. “ _ **She’s cryin’ an awful lot.**_ ”

“Why don’t you go downstairs?” Joey suggested. “I’ll take care of her.” Bendy hesitated but went downstairs anyway. Joey sighed and knelt beside the young girl, putting a hand on her back.

“Miss? Are you alright?” He asked.

“Leave me alone.” The girl sobbed and curled even tighter around herself. “I just want it all to stop.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I want to sleep forever.” She said. God, she looked so young. Why did a girl this young want to die? Why had Hill brought him a suicidal child?

“She’s a Creator.” Murray Hill stepped from the shadows, smiling brightly. “A real one. She can help you.”

“She’s a child.” Joey hissed. “A child who wants to die! What am I supposed to do with her?”

“I’m just a nuisance.” The girl wailed. 

“I don’t know how to deal with this,” Joey said, gesturing to the girl on the ground. “Take her back to where you found her. Please.”

“Try talking to her,” Murray suggested. “You might find you’re more similar than you think.” Then he turned and left once more, leaving Joey with the crying girl. He didn’t even know her name. Sighing, he turned back to the girl, helping her to her feet. The left side of her face and body was covered in ink. The lenses of her glasses were obscured with ink and tears as well.

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” He said, his voice soft as he led her down to the break room. The girl sniffled and sobbed, but offered no resistance. Joey sat her down on a chair and went to go get a cloth to wipe her face off with. Her clothes were probably beyond saving at this point. When he came back, he found the girl talking with Bendy. 

“ ** _Joey!_** ” Bendy looked up at his Creator with wide eyes. “ _ **This girl’s just like you! She wants to bring her characters to life too!**_ ”

“It’s stupid.” The girl wiped some ink and tears off her face with the sleeve of her hoodie. “I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s not like that could ever happen.”

“ _ **Look at me!**_ ” Bendy gestured to himself. “ ** _Joey brought me to life! You can definitely do it!_** ”

“Dreams are meant to be achieved.” Joey descended the stairs and walked over to stand before the girl. “You just have to believe. Now, I don’t think I ever caught your name.”

“It’s Fiona.” The girl said. 

“Well, Fiona, it’s nice to meet you.” Joey gave her a big smile. “My name is Joey Drew. And this is Bendy the Dancing Demon.”

“ _ **Hiya!**_ ” Bendy shook her hand vigorously.

“It’s, um, it’s nice to meet both of you.” Fiona smiled shyly. “I’m sorry for intruding. It’s just…That man, the one with the red eyes, he said…He said he could help me.”

“He did, did he?” Joey raised an eyebrow, leaning over and beginning to wipe the ink off of Fiona’s face with his handkerchief. “And who do you want to make real, my dear girl?” Fiona shifted uncomfortably, her face going red.

“I’m basically Pygmalion at this point.” She muttered, starting to tear up again.

“ _ **Don’t cry!**_ ” Bendy shook his head and wrapped his arms around Fiona’s shoulders. Then he paused. “ _ **Who’s Pygmalion?**_ ”

“Pygmalion was a Greek figure who fell in love with his own creation,” Joey replied, regarding Fiona curiously. “So you’ve fallen in love with your creation?”

“It’s stupid,” Fiona repeated, starting to cry. “No one’s ever going to love me so I latched onto my antagonist.” Soon enough she was bawling once more.

“Now, there’s nothing wrong with loving what you create.” Joey patted her back. “I love my creations as well, perhaps not in the way you do, but certainly with the same level of passion. They’re my children.”

“So I’m not…a freak?” She asked softly. “I’m not weird for feeling this way?” Joey winced at that word but kept smiling. 

“No, of course not.” He said. “Now, why don’t you tell me about this man who’s captured your heart.”

“ _ **I wanna hear about him too!**_ ” Bendy said, leaning over. Fiona blushed and hid her face in the sleeves of her hoodie. 

“ _ **Pleeeeeaaaaase?**_ ” Bendy wheedled, giving her a big smile. Fiona couldn’t help but smile when faced with him. 

“Alright.” She conceded. “His name’s Carmine. Carmine Berlusconi. He’s the antagonist for my first novel. I was going to kill him off, but then a friend of mine took an interest in him and he survived. And…I ended up falling in love with him. He had all the characteristics that make me fall for villains. He’s well-spoken, well dressed, clever, handsome, and he has morals even despite being evil.” 

“He sounds like a very interesting man.” Joey nodded. 

“And he’s a demon,” Fiona added, shrugging her shoulders. “Because I’m weird and I have an obsession with demons and angels.”

“If it helps, I have an interest in the supernatural as well,” Joey said. 

“ _ **I’m a demon too!**_ ” Bendy said. “ _ **D’ya think I could meet him someday?**_ ” Fiona’s smile quickly fell and she drew into herself. 

“It’s not like that’s going to happen.” She hung her head. “I’m just getting my hopes up for nothing. I’m a worthless piece of shit. A weirdo.” 

“My dear, no one would think that from looking at you,” Joey said. “You’re a beautiful, bright young woman.” She was rather pretty, even resembling Susie to a certain extent, although her blond hair was a bit darker. 

“ _ **You’re a real pretty dame!**_ ” Bendy added. 

“Beautiful until you get to know me.” She muttered. “You don’t know anything about me.” He knew more about her than she thought. He could see himself in the way she avoided eye contact, drew into herself when she was praised. He knew those signs. Someone had hurt her. Not as much as him, but she’d been hurt all the same. 

“I’m a freak.” She said, burying her face in her hands. 

“Don’t say that!” Joey’s voice came out much sharper than he’d intended, causing Fiona to jump. 

“Don’t say that,” Joey repeated. “You’re not a freak. You’re not like me.”

“Like you?” She tilted her head to the side. “But you don’t look like a freak.”

“Are you sure?” Joey smiled tiredly and gestured down to his twisted foot. Fiona frowned, then put her hands on his shoulders. 

“If I’m not a freak, then neither are you.” She said. “So you can’t say mean things about yourself either.”

“ _ **See? She likes you too.**_ ” Bendy rocked back and forth a little on the table.

“You don’t know me-”

“And you don’t know me.” Fiona interrupted him. “But you have faith in me. So I have faith in you, Mr. Drew.”

“You’re far too nice for your own good, Miss.” Joey smiled softly and ruffled her hair. “But…May I ask, why do you want to die? You said you wanted to sleep forever.” 

“Ah…” Fiona’s smile fell. “It’s…a long story.”

“I’m willing to listen to you if you’re willing to listen to me.” Joey spread his hands wide. 

“Alright.” Fiona shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Bendy. The little demon took a hint and ran off to go entertain himself elsewhere. Fiona took a deep, shaking breath and began wringing her hands. 

“I just got out of high school and it’s all so overwhelming.” She admitted. “I don’t know what I want to do with my life, I’m scared college will be just like high school, and I…I don’t want to disappoint my parents.” 

“Why would you disappoint them?” Joey asked, hoping that her parents weren’t as bad as his. 

“I don’t know.” Fiona hunched her shoulders. “I just feel like I’ll never live up to their expectations. I’m not smart enough, I’m not ambitious enough, I’m not-”

“I thought you said we weren’t allowed to say mean things about ourselves.” Joey reminded her with a smile.

“Oh. Right. Sorry.” She smiled back. 

“You don’t need to please your parents. All you need to do is please yourself.” Joey put his hand on hers. “Trust me, I know. You need to learn how to live for yourself.” 

“Okay.” Fiona nodded, her smile widening. “I…I really appreciate that.” Joey squeezed her hand and leaned back in his chair. 

“Tell me about your problems now.” Fiona leaned forward, staring at him with an earnestness that almost made his heart melt. “I’ll listen and maybe I can help.” 

“Well…” Joey opened his mouth to pour out his problems for her and stopped. She was a child. He didn’t want to involve a child in all this. She’d just graduated high school, that had to make her 17 at the very least. She was so young. She trusted him as well. What would she think of him if he told her what he was doing? He knew how bad it looked from the outside. 

“I want to bring my children to life.” He finally said. “But the methods I’m using…Many might not understand. But everything I’m doing, I know I can fix it.” Fiona frowned slightly. 

“Okay…” She said slowly. “That sounds….bad.”

“I know.” He could feel himself beginning to crumble under her innocent gaze. He knew he’d messed up. He knew that more than anything. But he could fix it! He could!

“Well, I trust you.” She got up and wrapped her arms around him. “You seem like a really nice person. And you listened to me bitch without telling me I’m stupid, so that has to count for something.”

“Your problems are far from stupid. They’re very legitimate.” Joey didn’t want to admit that he was on the verge of tears at being hugged. He was just so happy that someone actually cared about and trusted him. Someone other than Bendy, that was. 

“Thank you.” Fiona smiled into his shoulder. “I’m sure your problems are very legitimate too.” More than she knew. They stayed like that for a long time. Both seemed reluctant to let go. 

“Miss ********, I’m glad to see you’re getting on well with Mr. Drew.” They were both startled by Murray Hill coming down the stairs into the break room. How strange. Joey could have sworn Murray had said something, but the word seemed to be censored in his mind.

“Oh, um, hello.” Fiona immediately separated from Joey, her shoulders hunched. 

“Mr. Hill.” Joey nodded his head. “I think you should take Miss Fiona back to wherever you found her. This isn’t her business.”

“I think I’m ready to go home now.” Fiona nodded. Murray frowned slightly but conceded, taking Fiona by the arm and leading her out of the studio. Part of Joey hoped he’d be able to see her again, once this was all over. Maybe then he’d be able to meet that creation she cared about so much.

.

_Murray did try to squeeze a deal out of the girl, (she was so vulnerable, so ripe for being swindled) but as they passed from Joey’s world into hers the entity she loved so much made himself known. Murray had been about to open his mouth, proposition her, but something had stopped him. A shadow rising up from her the darkness cast by her, a man with red eyes and a 3 piece suit. The man glanced back at Fiona and then looked at Murray and put a finger to his lips. Then he was gone, along with Fiona._

.

Henry was rather surprised when he found a teenage girl at his door, asking for Joey. How old was she anyway? There was no way she could have known Joey. She was so young. She was wringing her hands and playing with the strings of her hoodie. It had the name of a college printed across the front of it, but it wasn’t one Henry recognized. 

“I went to the studio and there was no one there.” She was saying. “It was all decrepit. So…Do you know where he is?”

“Could I ask why you’re looking for him?” Henry asked. 

“He helped me when I was going through a really difficult period.” She said, smiling up at him. “I wanted to thank him and tell him I’m in a much better place now.” She really didn’t know about what Joey had done, did she? She had no idea. There was such love and trust in her eyes and Henry faltered at the sight of her. Should he tell her the truth? Suddenly, Bendy came down the stairs and his eyes widened. 

“ _ **Fiona!**_ ” He squealed, running over and launching himself into the girl’s arms.

“Bendy!” The girl grinned and hugged him. “It’s so good to see you! We didn’t get to talk much last time, did we?”

“ _ **It’s great to see you too!**_ ” Bendy nuzzled his face against hers. “ _ **Man, you look swell!**_ ”

“Thanks, I feel swell!” Fiona laughed. She had a nice laugh. 

“Would you like to come in?” Henry asked. 

“Oh, sure!” Fiona put Bendy down. “Just let me go get my boyfriend.” She ran back out to a car parked in front of the house and leaned down to talk to someone in the car. Henry looked down at Bendy. 

“How did you meet her?” He asked. 

“ _ **Mr. Hill brought her to the studio.**_ ” Bendy bounced on his heels. “ _ **He said she was a Creator or something’. She was real sad, but me and Joey made her feel better. She’s a real nice girl.**_ ”

“Does she know…?”

Bendy’s smile slowly fell. He looked down and his eyes turned a beautiful dark green.

“ _No. She doesn’t._ ”

“Do you want to be the one to tell her?”

“ _ **No, you do it,**_ ” Bendy mumbled, holding his head. 

“ **We saw someone pull up in the driveway.** ” Alice descended the stairs. “ **Is everything alright?** ”

“Someone came looking for Joey,” Henry explained.

“ ** _Her name’s Fiona. She’s a real nice girl._** ” Bendy looked pleadingly at them. “ **Mr. Hill brought her to Joey back when it was just me and him at the studio.** ” 

“Alright! Here he is!” Fiona came running back, dragging a man behind her. The man was tall and handsome, wearing a 3 piece suit. And he had piercing red eyes. 

“ ** _Is that Carmine?_** ” Bendy’s eyes sparkled. “ ** _You were right! He is real handsome!_** ”

“You’re too kind.” The man laughed softly. Alice sighed softly and fanned herself. Boris frowned and folded his arms. He didn’t trust this man. The girl, maybe, but not the man.

“Come in.” Henry stepped aside to let Fiona and Carmine enter. Fiona hummed happily and sat down on the couch, Carmine at her side.

“You must be Boris and Alice.” Fiona smiled at Boris and Alice. “I’m so happy I get to meet you! I watched your cartoons while I was gone and I have to say, I’m a big fan! You guys are so awesome!”

“ **Well, gosh.** ” Boris couldn’t help but blush and scratch the back of his head. 

“ **You’re very sweet.** ” Alice giggled. 

“ _ **But I’m your favorite, right?**_ ” Bendy leaned in, batting his eyelashes.

“I can’t choose a favorite,” Fiona said.

“She likes Boris best,” Carmine said in almost a stage whisper. “Which is strange, because she’s normally a cat person.”

“Carmine!” Fiona squealed, starting to flap her hands in embarrassment. Boris’ tail started to wag despite himself, while Bendy pouted adorably.

“ **There there, Bendy,** ” Alice said. “ **I’m sure she still loves you.** ”

“I do!” Fiona insisted. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you!”

“He’s being dramatic. You didn’t upset anyone.” Carmine assured her. 

“ _ **Oh yeah, I’m fine,**_ ” Bendy said. “ ** _Sorry, didn’t mean to make you upset._** ”

“N-No, it’s okay. It’s my fault.” Fiona said. 

“You shouldn’t blame yourself.” Carmine kissed her head. “You don’t need to please everyone, my dear.” Henry stood by the couch, watching the toons and watching Fiona. 

“You came here to find Joey, right?” He said. 

“Oh! Yes! Right!” Fiona nodded. “I wanted to tell him how well I’m doing.”

“I think there’s something you need to know.”

Fiona listened quietly as Henry spoke, her smile slowly falling. She was bawling by the end of it, burying her face in Carmine’s shoulder. Bendy crawled into Henry’s arms, burying his own face in Henry’s chest. Henry took no pleasure from this. But she deserved to know. She deserved to have the full story. She had no words when Henry was finished. 

“That is a lot to take in,” Carmine said, seemingly remaining calm. 

“I understand if you need some time.” Henry patted Bendy’s back, watching Fiona. “We’d be happy to let you stay the night if you like.” Fiona nodded, continuing to hold on to Carmine. 

“ **Is she going to be okay?** ” Alice asked after a few minutes. Henry had left the room, but Bendy was still there. Fiona was still crying. Every time they thought she was about to stop she started all over again.

“She’ll be fine eventually.” Carmine pulled Fiona into his lap, letting her curl up. “More than likely she thinks she could have stopped this somehow, since she met him, but we both know that’s unrealistic.” 

“I c-could have done something.” Fiona managed to gasp out.

“ **Ain’t nothin’ you coulda done.** ” Boris rumbled, shaking his head. “ **Only people who coulda stopped this were Joey and Susie.** ”

“ **They made their choices,** ” Alice said quietly. Bendy crawled up on the couch and latched onto Fiona’s back. 

“ _ **You’re not mad, are you?**_ ” He whispered. 

“He wa-was so nice. I t-thought I could trust him.” Fiona sobbed. “W-Why would he do all th-this?” She didn’t seem angry, and that was the worst part about it. She was disappointed. That cut Bendy to his core. And deep inside of the little demon, Joey was ashamed. He’d disappointed yet another person. 


	2. Epilogue

So, I want to write more for this. I wanted to give Joey a chance to explain himself.

Here’s [part 1](http://queenofcats17.tumblr.com/post/174917998115/forlorn-creator)

[@falseprotagonistsofbatim](https://tmblr.co/mejQ4GGMoMh3unuAUTjfIOg) is not my au. A Debt To Pay is. 

* * *

Eventually, Fiona cried herself to sleep and Carmine carried her up to the room Henry had provided. He tucked her in and settled himself in a chair opposite her and waited. He expected Joey would be along eventually to try and explain himself. Sure enough, it didn’t take long for Bendy to poke his head in. His eyes were forest green. 

“Mr. Drew. I don’t think we’ve ever properly met.” Carmine said, his voice low. Joey froze, eyes flicking up to Carmine. The demon smiled calmly standing up and walking over to where Fiona slept. 

“Would you like me to wake her up so you two can talk?” He asked calmly. 

“ _You would….let me do that?_ ” Joey asked.

“You two have a lot to talk about.” 

“ _You aren’t afraid I’ll hurt her?_ ” 

Carmine didn’t answer, just smiling at the former studio head. He gently shook Fiona awake and melted into the shadows. Joey looking around wildly, suddenly desperate to get out of this situation. Fiona sat up and rubbed her eyes. 

“Bendy?” She mumbled. “Issat you?”

“ _Not….exactly._ ” Joey forced himself to smile. His heart was pounding against his chest. He’d begged Bendy to let him take control and now he was getting cold feet. Her eyes widened and she grabbed her glasses from the bedside table. 

“Joey?” Her voice was small. He nodded. It hurt seeing the look in her eyes as she stared at him, the blankets gathered around her chest. 

“Why?” That one question told him all he needed to know. 

“ _I thought I could reverse it,_ ” Joey replied, avoiding looking at her. “ _I thought I could set everything right. I know nothing I say will ever make what I did right but…But I really thought I could fix things._ ” 

“The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Fiona smiled weakly.

“ _Truer words were never spoken._ ” Joey laughed, the sound coming out hollow. For a moment, they just stared at one another. Then Fiona let down the sheets a little, patting the space next to her. 

“Sit with me.” She said. “I haven’t given you a hug in awhile.” Joey hesitated, but clambered up anyway and burrowed into her arms.  He was smaller now, fitting much easier into her arms. She started to cry again, holding him tightly. 

“ _I won’t ask you to forgive me-_ ”

“I don’t.” She cut him off. “But I think I can understand how you got to this point.”

“ _You…You can?_ ” Joey frowned slightly. 

“Carmine told me about Murray Hill,” Fiona said, staring into the darkness of the bedroom. “He took advantage of your desperation. It doesn’t excuse what you did, but it does explain it.” He could feel tears hitting his shoulders. “I still believe in you, Mr. Drew.” Joey lapsed into silence. He could feel his control slipping. 

“ _Thank you._ ” He murmured, closing his eyes. “ _You have no idea how much this means to me._ ”

“I still believe in you.” She yawned and held him closer, slowly drifting off. Bendy blinked as he felt himself regain control of his body. Joey retreated into the mind space he shared with Wally, satisfied for the moment. Bendy looked at Fiona, her face still tearstained and blotchy. She was a nice girl. He hoped they could still be friends.


End file.
